Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-01-09

Il WAY ~ " 49,
Messengers followed in the hotel coach
| Then, for a few minutes, there was con
| siderable hustle at the Office, and the clerk
was kept busy ''rooming" the new eFT''
walls. When all had been disposed OF TIC
turned somewhat YEARLY to the reporter
and, pushing the book toward him. saiu'
There, see if there isn't a character WIN
ten there" Thereupon he helped MINI
self to another toothpick to replace the one
which he had chewed up, and Wlthdre"
TO the room-rack, over which he pored aD-
stractedly while the newspaper man scanh-
ed the register. Yes, there was characpeI
in the handwriting upon the open page.
First were the small, Grabbed characters
aud waving lines traced by the trembling
hand of old age. Below was the name Vi
a ranchman from Dakota. CRUDE ana
wholly devoid of any pretenslon 10 styiie'
vet there was an honest look about tne
large, sprawling cbirography which IN
spired confidence in the writer. Then iol-
lowed the names of an English lord ana
the members of his party, whom, the re-
porter subsequtly learned, had been on q
hunting trip over the Western plains;
Well, the handwriting OF the educated
classes of England hasn't much indlvldu
atty, so to speak. Any one could trace III
the angular scrawl the nationality OF the
termine what kind of man he was. The
next signature was written in a dainty
feminine hand, clearly suggestive of the
Young dandy who penned it. This was
evidently the youths first visit to the me-
tropolis, and equally apparent was it that
he had just slipped the leading strings OF
some institution of learning. A bold sig
nature was the next, and q strong man
wrote it, a WeSterner, every inch OF him,
and with the splendid vigor Of mind and
physique which distinguishes a type. Then
a meanly written, crawling sort of u name,
which ..admirably fitted the man who in
6ite6 it, and then an obscure signature,
which was fully deciphered as that OF a
learned and somewhat well-known pro-
fessor, and so the list went on.
"Well how are you making QUIZ in
uuired the clerk, who had again returned
to the counter. over which the reporter was
leaning while he studied the book. is 1t
not indeed true that there is character in
handwriting, especially in that you find
on hotel registers"
"But why especially on hotel registers
because it is in writing his name in
them that the nature of the man more
truly shows itself. When a timid man,
aud especially one who is not much used
to travelling, enters a big hotel, perhaps in
company of a dozen Others, who are bound
on a similar object, and walks up to the
counter to register, he il, to a certain eX-
tent, intimidated, and, consequently, not
a complete master of his actions. His dis
composure shows itself instantly to us who
stand behind the counter, and betrays its
self to even others who may be near when
he writes his name in the book. 4 glance
at his signature is enough to settle the
question. and the man himself feels i'll at
ease until he is assigned to his room, II
is piloted out of the crowd. And even
though the man may become 4 pretty con-
slant traveller, it is unlikely that he will
ever overcome his tendency to nervousness
OH that account. There are a good many
men of that stamp going about the world.
''On the other hand, there is a certain
number of men who, while not what you
might call timid, are naturally of 4 retlr-
ing disposition. Such men, when they
come into a hotel to register, brace them
selves, as it wer, for an ordeal and cOnse-
quently when they write their names in
the book they over do the thing and give
themselves away. They are altogether
too bold, and we see right through their
assumed courage"
''But how about the really bold and self
possessed mem"
''Oh, the selE-possessed man cares moth
ing for surroundings, and writes his name
as placidly and unconcernedly in a crowd
rs he would in his study, Office or counting
room. We can instantly detect the conf
dent, self-pOSsessed man, and then, again,
YOU see, our register demonstrates its
value"
Can you always detect the successful
man.
almost invariably. Not so much, how
ever, by his actual signature in our W
hook as by his manner OF writing it. There
is a se~lf-cOntained, self-satisfed air about
his manner of handling the pen, and a
pride in the signature itself that shows
themselves to us at once, and which are
scarcely ever deceptive"
How about the unsuccessful mem"
ooh it's the same. We can tell them
nine times out of ten by their behavior in
registering. tell you, my boy, the hotel
counter applies a crucial test to individu-
ais"
docs your theory apply as well to wo-
men as to men?'
"Ah! | thought you'd come to that.
Well, yes and no But does any theory
apply to women? Well, women you knew
bless their dear little hearts!-women
are different from mem
"Indced?"
Don't interrupt me. | mean that wo-
mcn-wcll, their handwriting is different
from that of men. There is not so much
individuality to it, / think, and you have
to Judge more from their manner-irom
themselves, so to speak,
Here the clerk, having nearly checked
himself with tOOthpicks during his fran
tic attempts at explanation, was mercl-
fully relieved from further suffering by a
fresh arrival. The latter was q tine-loOk-
ing man, of commanding stature and dis
tinguiShed appearance, who was greeted by
the hotel clerk with respectful coTdiality
and who inscribed his name in firm, I'M
compromising characters upon the regis
ter. That name is one of the best known
in the Union, and its bearer is a senator OF
the United States. The man and name
fitted one another perfectly in his case.
The one was clearly indicative of the
other.
Prince Nicholas TsherhatoV,